This Week in Virtual Worship

Sunday, May 17th, 2020

“Guiding Principles​“

Rev. Lisa Ward

ZOOM LIVE-STREAM WORSHIP

Please see the zoom link below. Please log in at 10:20, to give some lead time for the service at 10:30. A zoom greeter will admit you into the zoom room. You will be muted, but you can communicate through the chat box. If you do not have zoom on your computer, please download it ahead of time. It is free.

Our YouTube account is First Parish in Milton UU.

Please subscribe by hitting the subscribe button on our Youtube channel and you’ll get notifications of when new videos are posted.

Please be on the lookout for an Order of Worship which will be emailed to you on Friday, 5/15.  We’ve added the offering to the service with a new way to give- text to giving! 

Sunday’s offering will go to the UU Mass Action COVID19 Emergency Fund​

You can donate anytime between May 14th and May 17th. See below for  text donation instructions.  It will be good to worship together. Do join us on Sunday if you can.

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Below in the Link:

1. Minister’s Message

2. RE Message

3. Saying good bye to Sara Elizabeth

4. Sunday Donation Info

5. Clapping for Medical Professionals

6. Annual Meeting

7. Green Gleanings

8. Digital Climate Lobby Days

9. Fighting for Change

10. Donations still be accepted for Louis D. Brown Walk for Peace

11.  Meditation Info

Minister

Rev. Lisa Ward

minister@fpmilton.org

Hello Brave Folk:  Here we are, still, in this tumbling of reality that challenges us, every day, to find grounding.  Some of us are deeply grieving, others, anxious about the “what next”.  Still others are fatigued to the bone, while some have found new body strengthening routines.  I would venture to say that all of us wonder when this will be over, just as all of us are doing the best we can.  There’s guilt and sadness, grace and new bonds.  There’s creativity and courage, cancelled routines and loss of income.  There’s fear and friendship, reaching out and giving in.  All in a time that has no clear end.  All in a life that finds its interdependent way.

How, then, do we find our ground of being in these challenging times?  A source is our core values and beliefs, our principles of living.  As we navigate these times, we may find some shifts in our priorities and assumptions about the meaning of our lives, though if our principles are sound, they will help guide us through.

This Sunday is First Parish of Milton’s annual meeting.  We will gather virtually to lift up the life of our faith community and shape our going forward.  Unitarian Universalism provides the guidance of principles and purposes designed to traverse all times within the values of justice, compassion, interdependence and love.  These principles are not creeds, but ways of engaging one another’s gifts and wisdom to bring about a justice-centered community that upholds our lives and the lives we touch.  This we do together, to encourage wise and loving choices in this world of constant change.  It is good to be together.

In Faith, Rev. Lisa

Religious Exploration

Religious Exploration

The Passages Program will soon be resumed online. Families with children in this much-loved program will receive class schedule information and a Zoom link soon.

Options for Children and Middle Schoolers: We are offering multiple short virtual programs throughout the week to help families feel connected to each other and to the heartbeat of First Parish Milton. Based on parent feedback we are exploring new dates and times for some of our online offerings:

Storytime: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:00 pm

Show & Tell: Wednesdays at 4:00 pm

Middle School Hangout: Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:00 pm

See the RE family newsletter for more information about each option and the Zoom links to join in. Each session is password protected, participants will be admitted via waiting rooms, private chat will be turned off, and screen sharing and white board use will be restricted to the co-hosts. We will ensure that two adults are present before children or youth are added from the waiting rooms. Please let Laurel know if you need the family newsletter.

We are all learning and adapting to new ways of connecting and sharing. I welcome feedback about what feels possible and helpful as we experiment with virtual RE.

~ Our bodies may not be touching, but our hearts are still connected.

Coming of Age Resumes Online: We will be finishing the course content for the Coming of Age program via Zoom. There will be three online sessions for both youth and their mentors on the following Sundays from 1:00 to 2:30 pm: May 24, May 31, and June 7. The Coming of Age credo service will be scheduled next fall when in-person worship services resume.

Virtual Youth Chat: All youth should have received Zoom links to join two online Youth Chat sessions each week. Each session will give youth an opportunity to connect and share what is on their hearts and we will play fun group online games. Please let Laurel know if you need the link info.

Bi-weekly sessions are on Thursdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 1:00 pm

As Sara Elizabeth winds up her final weeks as Youth Advisor (after seven years!) we are preparing a video farewell for her which we will show during the annual meeting on May 17. Please add a video “hug” by clicking on this link and sharing your thanks, favorite memories, and best wishes. We encourage everyone – young or older – but especially current youth, former youth, and parents – to record a short farewell message by May 15. Parents, please reach out to current and graduated youth as we don’t have all their email addresses.

We need everyone’s help to make a fun and meaningful goodbye gift for her! Laurel and the Youth Adult Committee

Events, News and Announcements

Last Sunday’s Donations

Last Sunday, we collected donations for the Interfaith Social Services of Quincy

Thanks to your generosity, we were able to donate $825.66.

From today 5/14 through 5/17, we are accepting donations for the UU Mass Action COVID19 Emergency Fund.  UU Mass Action expands their reach and impact by working with coalitions and community networks in specific areas including immigration justice, climate justice, and decarceration/prison reform.  UU Mass Action recently created a COVID19 Emergency Fund to support partners that focus on communities particularly impacted by the COVID crisis. 

HOW TO GIVE: Simply text (617) 539-7576 with the amount that you’d like to give. Do not add words, simply put the amount. You’ll get an automatic text message back, asking you to do a 1-time set up to create an account with your credit card/debit number. After the one time set-up, you can simply text the number with an amount to give, and it’ll be automatically debited from the account of your choosing. This is contained and safe — it goes directly to a designated First Parish account. We will write one check of the compiled donations to the organization.

#ClapBecauseWeCare

Friday, May 15th at 7:00 PM

Let’s come together to show our appreciation for all front-line workers: healthcare professionals, grocery store employees, delivery drivers, cooks, food pantry workers, and more. Come out onto your front step, or open your window, and applaud, ring a bell, or bang some pans together for five minutes to express your appreciation.  Church bells will be rung as well. Post a video of your celebration on social media with the  #ClapBecauseWeCareMilton and make sure that the video is set to ‘public.’ Milton Interfaith Clergy Association will be compiling these into a video to share with healthcare workers and others on the front-lines. Let’s do this EVERY Friday at 7:00 PM, starting now and until we come through on the other side of this.

The Annual Meeting will be held May 17, 2020 at 11:30am via Zoom.

The full annual report is now available. 

If you are a non-member and plan to attend, please RSVP to the Clerk (Brigitte Miller) at clerk@fpmilton.org to be added to the list of attendees. Only those who are members and those who register in this way will be admitted to the meeting​.

The annual report can be found on the members section of the website. To get to the members section of the website, go to fpmilton.org, then at the top of the page, click on the “Connect” tab. The Members Page is the third option in that tab. Type in the password, miltonuu, in the grey bar and then look for the document under “Congregational Meetings”.

If you would like a copy mailed to you, or have difficulty getting into the members page, please email the office at office@fpmilton.org and we will email or mail a copy to you.

The Annual Meeting will begin promptly at 11:30am on May 17th. Please log in a bit early so the clerk can check you in. Consider having the warrant, annual report and attachments available (electronically or printed out) during the meeting. 

You may join via your choice of device (Computer (Windows or MacOS), iPhone / Android phone, Tablet), but we ask that you please turn on your video. Two people can be logged in to watch on the same screen – the clerk will give you instructions on how to make sure both of you have your names checked off on roll call.

If you are not familiar with Zoom and need help getting set up to join the meeting, feel free to contact Eric Miller at r.eric.miller@gmail.com before noon on Saturday 16 May 2020​.

Thank you for your time in reviewing these documents and attending the Annual Meeting.

 Green Gleanings

Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes 

to Thoreau’s Woods

an online lecture by author Prof. Richard B. Primack 

Monday, May 18, 7:00 p.m.

Most people know Henry David Thoreau as a writer and botanist but he was a climate change scientist, too! More importantly, what would Thoreau tell us to do about global warming if he were alive today?

Join us at 7 p.m. Monday, May 18 for a fascinating, virtual (Zoom) discussion with acclaimed author and Boston University Professor Richard B. Primack on the local impacts of climate change. Register for this free event on Milton Public Library’s website miltonlibrary.org or call 617-333-0924 to receive the access link and pertinent information.

For the past 17 years, Professor Primack and his B.U. team have been using Thoreau’s records from the 1850’s and other Massachusetts data sources to document examples of the seasonal biological effects of climate change, including the often-neglected autumn season.

As a primer for the May 18th lecture, Milton Library’s executive director Will Adamczyk will lead an optional online discussion of Prof. Primack’s book on Wednesday, May 13, at 7:00pm.

Pre-registration (see above) is required for both events. Co-sponsored for Earth Day 2020 by Milton Public Library, Blue Hills Climate Action Coalition, and Sustainable Milton with grant funding from Milton Junior Woman’s Club.

DIGITAL CLIMATE LOBBY DAY(S)

Week of May 25

Are you looking for meaningful ways to make a difference in pandemic times?  Climate Change, unfortunately, isn’t in shut-down mode.  First Parish member and Our Climate activist, Izzy Goodrich, alerted the Social & Environmental Justice Committee [aka S+EJ] that a Digital Youth Lobby Week is being planned for the week of May 25.  First, an online training session will cover the legislation and positions championed as well as tips for effective advocacy.  Following that, digital appointments will enable constituents (“us”) to “meet” with our congressional legislators.

YOU MUST PREREGISTER at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeN8APTob3oXZjX1_I9jan0kpgYJzQJEyg0iRhdYqYJnbBfRw/viewform  Alert Tucker Smith tsmith62676@gmail.com if you will participate.  [Note: FP members Jennie Mulqueen, Atticus D’Alessandro, Deb Larson-Venable, and Andrea Geyling, and Milton Academy students had a rewarding experience doing this last January.]

Here are the specific bills in the pipeline:

1) S.453/H.826 and S.464/H.761 – An Act relative to Environmental Justice – Sen. DiDomenico /  Rep. Madaro and Sen. Eldridge/ Rep. Dubois & Rep. Miranda   

2) S.1958/H.2836 An Act Re-powering Massachusetts with 100% Renewable Energy – Sen. Eldridge / Rep. Decker & Rep. Garbally

3) H.2810 An Act to Promote Green Infrastructure and Reduce Carbon Emissions – Rep. Benson

 4) S.2106/H.3008 An Act to Advance Modern and Sustainable Solutions for Transportation – Sen. Lesser / Rep. Ehrlich

Fighting for CHANGE in Massachusetts

The MA State Legislature adjourns for the year on July 31.  Contacting your MA legislators is a powerful way to make change happen during the last few weeks of this legislative session.  Of course, we encourage as many of you as possible to participate in the Digital Climate Lobby Day(s) — see previous article.   We also encourage everyone to PLEASE contact your own state legislators about the following, critical Immigration Justice initiatives (to find contact info for your state representative / state senator go here: https://malegislature.gov/search/findmylegislator. ) Thanks to the great work of UU Mass Action, we have solid guidance and tools to reach out to our state legislators on issues that align with First Parish’s social and environmental initiatives.  It feels good to ACT for social and environmental justice — try it!

[COURTESY OF UU MASS ACTION]

The pandemic has painfully reminded us that our communities are only as strong as the most vulnerable person. The http://Massachusetts Public Health Associations Report on Racial Disparities and COVID19 found that in the Latinx community COVID19 cases are >3x higher than the white community (for the Black/African community it’s >2x higher).

The culture of fear created by punitive federal immigration policy contributes to this dangerous situation.  Massachusetts leadership needs to take action now and protect our immigrant neighbors.

Today, we want to flood legislators’ inboxes with messages about the Safe Communities Act.  

http://Use our super-easy Phone2Action system – You’ll be able to personalize your message!

Like most of the events in our world these days, the annual Louis D Brown Walk for Peace was a virtual event that happened on Mother’s Day.  First Parish Milton has been participating in the Walk for Peace for many years. The Louis D Brown Institute works by using love and peace to heal our world and to counteract the violence that all too often cuts short the lives of children and young adults in our communities.  The tragic death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia last week is a clear example that, in these troubled times, the work of PEACE has never been more important!

Thanks to your donations and the Sunday collection from last week, we are close to 90% of reaching our goal for this year. 

Even though the event has past, it IS NOT TOO LATE!  If everyone could register on the http://mothersdaywalk4peace.org 

website – on the First Parish in Milton team we could absolutely reach our goal of $1,500!

Easy steps to register/donate:

1.    Go to http://www.mothersdaywalk4peace.org

2.    Click on START A TEAM box

3.    Scroll down to bottom of page and click on List of teams box

4.    Scroll down until you see the Name: box and enter MILTON into the box

5.     Scroll to bottom of page and you should see our team entry – click DONATE box

6.     Fill out the form and give whatever you can afford

7.     THANK YOU!

Meditation continues ….

All are welcome to join for 30 minutes of silent meditation/prayer on 

Thursday evenings at 6pm 

Sunday mornings at 9 am

Newcomers and friends welcome.

Here are the links — these should remain consistent every week 

but note that the link for Thursday is different from Sunday!

Please contact Tracey at tdr02186@gmail.com if you have questions or want to join us!